Children's Perspectives on Their Learning in School Spaces : What Can We Learn from Children in Brazil and Finland

Vol.:(0123456789) In e na ional Jou nal o Ea ly Childhood (2018) 50:259–277 h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s13158-018-0228-6 1 3 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces: Wha Can We Lea n omChild en inB azil andFinland? Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a1 · Ki s i Ka ila2 · Luciana Muniz3 · Paula Fa ia Ama al3 · Reijo Kupiainen4 Published online: 15 Oc obe 2018 © The Au ho (s) 2018 Abs ac In his s udy, we in es iga ed child en’s pe cep ions o hei lea ning expe iences in ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e using da a om wo di e en se ings: B azil and Finland. We adop ed a quali a i e and c oss-na ional esea ch design. Pho o- g aphs we e used o ga he child en’s ep esen a ions o hei lea ning places and spaces and also la e o elici e lec ions du ing g oup in e iews. This p ocess o using pho og aphs allowed us o elici child en’s pe cep ions abou hei lea ning. The analysis consis ed o con en ca ego iza ion o he pho og aphs, con en analysis o he in e iews, and jux aposi ion o ma e ials in a compa a i e amewo k. The child en ep esen ed and concei ed hei lea ning expe ience in ou ca ego ies o school spaces: objec s, ac ions, signi ican o he s, and cul u al p ac ices. By analyz- ing each o hese ca ego ies, we iden i y i e co e elemen s o child en’s pe cep ions abou hei lea ning: ele ance o pee in e ac ions; ecogni ion o lea ning h ough play; child en’s acknowledgmen o hei own compe ence o lea ning; school spaces as places o lea ning ac ions; and p esen ime as he ime ame o lea ning. P ac ical implica ions o hese indings a e discussed, including he impo ance and ele ance o conside ing child en’s pe cep ions. Keywo ds Lea ning spaces· Child en’s pe cep ions· Cul u al p ac ices· Mul icul u al esea ch Résumé Dans ce e é ude, nous a ons examiné les pe cep ions des en an s de leu s expé iences d’app en issage dans les se ices d’éduca ion e de ga de de la pe i e en ance à l’aide de données p o enan de deux milieux di é en s: le B ésil e la Finlande. Nous a ons adop é un de is de eche che quali a i e plu ina ional. Des pho og aphies on se i à ecueilli les ep ésen a ions des en an s de leu s espaces d’app en issage e égale- men , à un s ade ul é ieu , à susci e des é lexions chez les en an s lo s d’en e iens *Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a juliene.madu ei a. e [email p o ec ed] Ex ended au ho in o ma ion a ailable on he las page o he a icle 260 J.M.Fe ei a e al. 1 3 de g oupe. Le p ocessus d’u ilisa ion de pho og aphies nous a pe mis d’ob eni les pe cep ions des en an s de leu app en issage. L’analyse consis ai à ca égo ise les pho og aphies, analyse le con enu des en e iens e jux apose le ma é iel dans un cad e compa a i . Les en an s on ep ésen é leu expé ience d’app en issage dans qua e ca égo ies d’espaces scolai es: les obje s, les ac ions, les pe sonnes signi ica- i es e les p a iques cul u elles. En analysan ces ca égo ies, nous a ons iden i ié cinq élémen s ondamen aux de la pe cep ion des en an s de leu app en issage: la pe inence des in e ac ions en e pai s, la econnaissance de l’app en issage pa le jeu, la econnaissance pa les en an s de leu p op e compé ence d’app en issage, les espaces scolai es comme lieux d’ac ions d’app en issage, e le emps p ésen comme cad e empo el d’app en issage. Les conséquences conc è es de ces ésul a s son discu ées, no ammen l’impo ance e la pe inence des pe cep ions des en an s de leu p op e app en issage. Resumen Es e es udio in es igó las pe cepciones de niños sob e sus expe iencias de ap endi- zaje en los p ime os años de educación en la escuela y cen os de cuidado in an- il, u ilizando da os p oducidos en dos con ex os di e en es: B asil y Finlandia. Se adop ó un diseño cuali a i o y c uzado a ni el nacional. Se u iliza on o og a ías pa a ecolec a las ep esen aciones de los niños de sus espacios de ap endizaje, y así mismo, pa a cap a sus e lexiones du an e en e is as en g upo. El uso de o og a ías pe mi ió a los in es igado es cap a las pe cepciones de los niños sob e su ap endi- zaje. El análisis consis ió en ca ego izaciones de o og a ías, análisis del con enido de las en e is as, y yux aposición de ma e iales en un ma co compa a i o. Los niños ep esen a on sus expe iencias de ap endizaje en cua o ca ego ías de espacios en la escuela: obje os, acciones, pe sonas especiales y p ác icas cul u ales. El análisis de es as ca ego ías pe mi ió la iden i icación de cinco elemen os p incipales en las pe cepciones de los niños sob e su ap endizaje: impo ancia de sus in e acciones con compañe os; econocimien o del ap endizaje a a és del juego; econocimien o de los niños de sus p opias compe encias pa a el ap endizaje; espacios escola es como si ios de ap endizaje; y el aho a como ma co empo al de ap endizaje. Es e es udio ambién analiza las implicancias p ác icas de es os hallazgos, incluyendo la impo - ancia y ele ancia de las pe cepciones de los niños ace ca de su ap endizaje. In oduc ion S udies ocused on explo ing child en’s pe spec i es ha e gained p ominence since he la e 1990s. In gene al, such s udies ha e iden i ied child en as impo an con ib- u o s o he in es iga ion o hei own eali y. Lis ening o child en’s oices enables esea che s o unde s and social phenomena wi h g ea e cla i y (San ’Ana 2010) and o access an en i ely new wo ld o meanings abou he li es o child en (T au- wein and Goncal es 2010; Pálmadó i and Eina sdó i 2016). Colli e and Flee (2016) a gued ha unde s anding young child en’s pe spec i es can p o ide educa- o s wi h conc e e in o ma ion o e ec i ely guide hei p ac ices owa d imp o ing 261 1 3 Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:… child en’s lea ning ou comes, as expec ed by con empo a y cu iculum amewo ks ac oss he globe. Ne e heless, when i comes o de ining lea ning and e lec ing on i s p ocesses, younge child en ha e been his o ically le ou o his con e sa ion. A subs an ial body o esea ch a gues ha young child en a e incapable o unde s anding wha lea ning is and e lec ing on hei own lea ning p ocess. Me acogni ion is conside ed o be an abili y ha does no de elop in child en who a e less han 4yea s o age (La kin 2010; Powell e al. 2011). Addi ionally, cu en s udies in he ield o ea ly childhood educa ion and ca e (ECEC) p e e o in es iga e lea ning by ocusing on i s ou comes, which a e pa icula ly linked o he e ec i eness o educa ional p o- g ams o p ac ices aimed a he acquisi ion o speci ic knowledge o skills (Bu ge 2015; Good ich e al. 2017; Helal and Weil-Ba ais 2015; Land y e al. 2017). Fo such easons, he ocus on child en’s pe spec i es o hei lea ning expe iences is no a opic ha has been ex ensi ely explo ed. We conside i impo an o unde s and lea ning p ocesses om he pe spec i e o child en. Simila o he signi ican ad ances ha ha e been made o o e come he me hodological challenges in child en’s pa icipa ion in esea ch (Cla k 2005), we belie e ha e o s should be made o educe he concep ual gaps be ween adul s’ acknowledgmen o child en’s compe ence and unde s and child en’s pe spec i es abou lea ning. In his s udy, we add ess lea ning om he pe spec i e o expe ience, which is de ined by La osa (2002) as some hing ha happens and ans o ms us. The lea n- ing expe ience is a p ocess by which si ua ions a e able o in luence he way we a e cons i u ed in a ce ain ime (momen o li e) and space. The e o e, a pa icula ocus is gi en o how he con ex ual elemen s play a ole in de ining he lea ning expe ience. As lea ning can happen in di e en social con ex s, ime, and space, in his s udy, we cla i y ha we a e in e es ed in he lea ning expe iences in ECEC con ex and in he school as a lea ning space. We in es iga e child en’s pe cep ions o hei lea ning expe iences in he con ex s o ea ly childhood educa ion (i.e., dayca e cen e s o schools) by add essing he ol- lowing esea ch ques ions: 1. How do child en pe cei e hei lea ning expe iences in ECEC se ings? Wha ideas do child en use o exp ess wha hey unde s and o hei own lea ning expe iences? 2. Wha associa ions do child en es ablish be ween hei lea ning and he spaces in which hey lea n in ECEC con ex s? 3. To wha ex en do cul u al di e ences in luence how child en pe cei e hei lea n- ing expe iences in ECEC? School asaLea ning Space To e lec on he idea o lea ning spaces in ECEC, we d aw on Soja’s (1996) con- cep s o Fi s space, Secondspace, and Thi dspace, which o e a mo e mul idi- mensional and ela ional idea o space and poin o an in eg a ion o human and 262 J.M.Fe ei a e al. 1 3 en i onmen al cons i uen s. Acco ding o Soja (1996), space is no iden i ied o de ined solely by i s ma e ial elemen s o geog aphical posi ion; space has di e en dimensions, all di ec ly ela ed o cul u e, ideology, social ules, alues, and human ac i i y. Soja’s in e connec ed dimensions o Fi s space (i.e., physical s uc u es ha compose he en i onmen ), Secondspace (i.e., pe sonal meanings abou he physi- cal en i onmen ), and Thi dspace (i.e., cul u al and social aspec s ha in luence indi idual in e p e a ions o space) a e p imal and connec ed o he indi idual. This unde s anding o space highligh s how human ac ion c ea es and de ines space; a he same ime, space p o ides a o dances o ce ain ac ions in a dialec ic p ocess o cons i u ion. When we ely on hese concep s o space o e lec on he lea ning expe iences o child en in ECEC, we ecognize ha child en a e a pa o he cons uc ion o ECEC spaces and ice e sa. P e ious s udies add essing child en’s pe spec i es o school space ha e ocused on he use o physical space (Eina sdo i 2005), chil- d en’s pa icipa ion in he p ocess o space cons uc ion (Vuo isalo e al. 2015), and child en’s agency in ce ain spaces o lea ning en i onmen s (Emilson and Folkes- son 2004). Such s udies ha e shown how adul s and child en ela e o space join ly, and how child en play an impo an ole in de ining he use o ma e ials and physical spaces. The indings call o inc eased pa icipa ion o child en in he decisions ha a ec hei school ou ine and he impo ance o conside ing pee ela ions in he con ex o ECEC. Howe e , hey do no add ess ques ions on how child en li e and unde s and hei lea ning in he school space. The e o e, ins ead o examining he physical space, ou aim is o ocus speci ically on he p ocess o meaning making by which he expe iences o lea ning a e signi ied while in he school space. We aim o unde s and hese expe iences as he elemen ha ans o ms he school in a lea ning space. In line wi h he no ion o Thi dspace, i is possible o ocus on indi idual lea ning expe iences and explo e possibili ies ha a ce ain en i onmen (in his case, ECEC) in di e en cul u al se ings o e s o lea ning p ocesses. In his sense, child en’s ep esen a ions and pe cep ions o he school space e eal elemen s o hei subjec- i e and social li e and expe ience, and hese elemen s a e pa o how his expe i- ence is p oduced and nego ia ed in a sha ed p ocess. Me hods S udy Con ex s: B azil andFinland In B azil, as in Finland, ECEC is ecognized as a uni e sal igh o all child en since bi h. Ru anen e al. (2014) ha e highligh ed simila i ies be ween he wo coun ies ega ding he cen al alue o human digni y, he unde s anding o he child’s igh o li e and ull de elopmen , and he upholding o he child’s igh o dayca e se - ices be o e compulso y schooling. In B azil, ECEC is go e ned by he Child and Adolescen S a u e (ECA, Minis y o Educa ion o B azil 1990) and he Law o Gene al Guidelines o Educa ion n. 9.394 96 (Minis y o Educa ion o B azil 1996), and his se ice is o be p o ided 263 1 3 Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:… by dayca e cen e s (0–3yea s old) o p e-p ima y schools (4–5yea s old) unde he pedagogical esponsibili y and budge a y adminis a ion o he municipali ies (Min- is y o Educa ion o B azil 2006). Acco ding o he B azilian Na ional Cu iculum Guidelines o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion, ECEC should p o ide he condi ions o ensu e ecogni ion, app ecia ion, espec , and in e ac ion among child en, p omo ing hei in eg al de elopmen and espec ing hei indi idual needs (Minis y o Educa- ion o B azil 2010). Like in B azil, Finnish ECEC is egula ed a he na ional le el, bu municipali ies a e esponsible o i s o ganiza ion and p o ision (Ac on Ea ly Childhood Educa ion and Ca e 2018/540). In Finland, ECEC is based on an in e- g a ed app oach o educa ion and ca e, he so-called “educa e” model. Finnish legis- la ion de ines ECEC as a planned and goal-o ien ed en i y o educa ion, nu u e, and ca e, wi h an emphasis on pedagogy. Howe e , despi e a simila unde s anding o he ole o ECEC in he child’s de elopmen and ecognizing i as a uni e sal igh o all child en, B azil and Fin- land ha e ma e ialized his se ice in e y dis inc ways. While in Finland he pa - icipa ion a e in he ai ly equal and homogenous ECEC sys em is a ound 75% among he 3–5-yea -olds, in B azil his igu e is s ill below 50% (INEP 2016), us- a ing he expec a ions in he Na ional Plan o Educa ion (Minis y o Educa ion o B azil 2016). Addi ionally, in B azil, he en i e educa ional sys em is plagued by social inequali y and inequi y, which esul s in di e en ECEC se ices acco ding o locali y, income, and ace. Albei i is e iden ha bo h na ions ace di e en p ob- lems, i is also ue ha hey aim o enhance child en’s pa icipa ion (San os 2010; Ca alho e al. 2009) and sha e he conce n o ind inno a i e ways o p omo e signi ican lea ning while a oiding “schooli ica ion” o ECEC. The e is a signi i- can in es men on e iewing in e nal policies and p ac ices (Hie amäki e al. 2017; Simões and Lima 2016), which by cul u ally con ex ualizing in e na ional deba es on ECEC, B azil and Finland ha e e idenced hei commi men o diminish social inequali ies by in es ing in quali y educa ion. The e o e, he a ionale o choosing hese coun ies is ha we ecognize and alue he dis inc cul u al cha ac e is ics o B azil and Finland, in e p e ing hem as an elemen ha can en ich he in es iga ion o a complex phenomenon such as he lea ning expe iences o child en. Me hodological App oach This s udy adop ed an abduc i e p ocess o easoning (Okasha 2002) in which sci- en i ic hinking p io i izes in o ma ion ha comes om da a a he han seeking o con i m a speci ic heo e ical hypo hesis. Fu he mo e, we base he analy ical p ocess on he p inciples o quali a i e me hodology p esen ed by González-Rey (2009). These p inciples ocus on he s udy o subjec i i y by conside ing he con- s uc i e–in e p e a i e and singula cha ac e o he p oduc ion o scien i ic knowl- edge and by unde s anding esea ch as a dialogical p ocess. The cons uc i e–in e - p e a i e me hodology allows a nonlinea ela ion wi h he ield o esea ch and i s pa icipan s. Da a a e no aken om he pa icipan s, bu a he p oduced and in e - p e ed conside ing e lec ions, dialogs, and an en i e communica ion sys em ha 264 J.M.Fe ei a e al. 1 3 g an s cen ali y o hose in ol ed in he esea ch (González-Rey 2014). Thus, we allow o he non-s anda dized in he con ex o esea ch, emphasizing he quali y o he in o ma ion p oduced and placing he esea che in he mids o in e p e a ions. In he ollowing sec ions, we ou line he way in which we unde ook his me hodo- logical pa h. Pa icipan s The pa icipan s consis ed o o y 3–6-yea -old child en om one ECEC school in each coun y. Pa icipan s we e andomly selec ed om a o al o 225 and 52 child en in he B azilian school and he Finnish dayca e cen e , espec i ely. Chil- d en we e only included i hey mani es ed a wish o pa icipa e in he s udy and i hei pa en s consen ed o hei pa icipa ion. I is impo an o add ha bo h ECEC schools had child en om di e en social backg ounds, which esul ed in a he e o- geneous g oup o child en. In he B azilian con ex , cul u al di e si y is a cha ac- e is ic ea u e o he socie y, and he di e en socioeconomic backg ounds o he child en added o his he e ogenei y. In he Finnish con ex , di e se economic back- g ounds con ibu ed o he he e ogenei y, in his case, because he e has been a sig- ni ican inc ease o o eigne s in he educa ional sys em. Thus, he sampled g oups included child en om di e en classes: middle, low-income, and uppe -middle. E hical Conside a ions The e hical commi ee o he Fede al Uni e si y o Ube lândia (CAAE 43646815.2.0000.5152) and municipal au ho i ies app o ed his s udy. In line wi h he guidelines o esponsible and e hical esea ch wi h human beings, da a con ain- ing he eal names o he child en o he school we e kep con iden ial. Child en’s names we e eplaced by ic i ious ones, and pic u es con aining images o people (e.g., o he child en, eache s, o s a membe s) we e al e ed o p e en iden i ica- ion. To ensu e ha he pa en s o all child en in ol ed we e awa e and suppo i e o he esea ch, o mal w i en consen ag eemen s we e ob ained. Addi ionally, chil- d en we e consul ed and ook pa o he s udy only i in e es ed. They we e also able o lea e he s udy whene e hey wan ed. Da a Collec ion Pa icipan s we e di ided in o h ee g oups o six o se en child en acco ding o hei age (3–4-yea -olds; 4–5-yea -olds; and 5–6-yea -olds) o he discussion g oups. Da a we e hen collec ed by a wo-s ep p ocess, which was applied in bo h se ings simila ly. The i s s ep explo ed child en’s ep esen a ion o he connec ions hey c ea ed be ween lea ning and he spaces ha hey used, cons uc ed, and li ed in he school. This p ocedu e consis ed o a g oup session in which child en we e in i ed o alk abou wha i mean o lea n in school, and immedia ely a e o walk a ound he school and pho og aph he spaces, objec s, people, o si ua ions ha hey hough 265 1 3 Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:… we e ela ed o lea ning. Pho og aphs ha e been used in sociological (Allen 2012), psychological (Blackbea d and Lindegge 2007), and educa ional s udies (Ha cou and Mazzoni 2012; Loughlin 2013). They a e a powe ul ool o cap u e indi id- ual ep esen a ion, enabling, o example, child en o p esen hei iews h ough a means o o he han jus language (Cla k 2005; Cook and Hess 2007; Eina sdo i 2005). Du ing he walk a ound he school, in pai s, child en could au onomously use he came a (p o ided by he esea che s) and we e pe mi ed o ake as many pic- u es as hey liked (67 in he B azilian g oups and 250 in he Finnish g oups). La e , he esea che s o ganized hese pho og aphs and excluded he ones ha had exac ly he same con en . Thus, each g oup om each coun y had abou 10–30 pic u es. In he second s ep, child en’s e lec ions abou he lea ning p ocesses and he con en s in hose pa icula spaces pho og aphed by hem we e sough . In his case, pho og aphy was used as a ool o es ablish a dialog wi h he child en, con ex ual- izing he con en o hei pe cep ions, and allowing hei oices o be exp essed. Fo his s ep, esea che s conduc ed a g oup in e iew session and used he chosen pic- u es o each g oup o ini ia e he discussion. They guided he e lec ions wi h using ques ions such as: Why did you choose his pic u e? Whe e a e you? Wha happens when you a e in his place? Wha can you do in hese places? Do you hink you a e lea ning some hing when you a e he e? Wha would ha be? Who a e you wi h when you a e lea ning? The in e iews wi h he child en we e audio aped and ansc ibed o he con en analysis. All da a collec ion p ocedu es we e adminis e ed o each g oup o child en sepa a ely; and i is impo an o no e ha he same esea ch p o ocols and ins uc- ions we e used in bo h coun ies. Analysis The da a collec ion gene a ed wo di e en se s o ma e ial o analysis: child en’s pic u es and he ansc ip s o child en’s e lec i e na a i es. We ocused only on he mos ob ious meaning o he pic u es, wi hou applying any echnical o a is- ic measu emen s (Thinke 2013). Th ough his p ocess, we c ea ed a map o chil- d en’s ep esen a ions in each age g oup acco ding o he ollowing ca ego ies ha eme ged om he analysis p ocess o he con en o he pic u es: (a) inside/ou side and (b) objec , pe son, place, and scene (i.e., place wi h people doing some hing). Nex , con en analysis was used o examine he in e iew ansc ip s o all he g oups. Though he s udy used an abduc i e app oach, ques ions we e used as (p e) s uc u ed opics o guide he in e iew. The dimensions o he analysis we e as ollows: (a) Whe e I lea n; (b) Wha I lea n; (c) When I lea n, and (d) Who I lea n om/wi h. Thus, he coding p ocess in ol ed iden i ying elemen s ha we e di ec ly ela ed o hese hemes. The esul s we e g ouped in o ou ca ego ies ha eme ged om he con en analysis, e ealing how child en pe cei e hei lea ning expe ience in hose pa icula school spaces: objec s, ac ion, signi ican o he s, and cul u al p ac ices. 266 J.M.Fe ei a e al. 1 3 To ensu e ho oughness in coding, bo h ma e ials we e analyzed i s in he coun- y o o igin (B azilian da a analyzed in B azil and Finnish da a in Finland), and subsequen ly, by he pa ne coun y. Howe e , o jux aposi ion o he da a and c oss-cul u al unde s anding o he phenomenon, we added ano he phase in which he whole co pus was discussed by a mul icul u al g oup o esea che s. In his p o- cess, we analyzed di e gen esul s and inco po a ed ansla ions o cul u al ele- men s ha we e essen ial o con ex ualize and unde s and each da ase . While c oss- cul u al compa ison only shows di e ences and simila i ies, jux aposi ion allows hei in eg a ion, e ealing he co e elemen s o he phenomenon. Resul s The i s s eps o he da a analysis esul ed in a map o child en’s ep esen a ions (see Table1). This map shows how he child en in each age g oup in each coun- y ep esen ed he ela ions be ween he lea ning expe ience and school space wi h hei pic u es. B azilian child en ep esen ed hei lea ning expe iences wi h pic u es ha chie ly ocused on objec s o places. Pic u es o objec s included swings in he play- g ound, s ai s, aps in he oile , books om he lib a y, plan s om he g eenhouse, and deco a ions in he class oom. The places egis e ed by he child en co e ed no only hei class oom, playg ound, and ya d bu also he ca e e ia and he g een a ea ha su ounded he school, which he child en e e ed o as he “magic o es .” This a ie y o images sugges s ha he child en unde s and hei lea ning p ocesses as some hing ha also happens ou side o he adi ional class oom en i onmen ; he p ocesses do no ela e exclusi ely o academic ac i i ies s uc u ed by he eache . Finnish child en also ep esen ed hei lea ning expe iences by mainly ocusing on objec s and places. Indoo places egis e ed by he child en included en ance halls, oile s, co ido s, and ooms o a ious ac i i ies, such as sleeping, gymnas- ics, handc a s, and mo ning ci cles. Ou doo places ep esen ed in he pic u es consis ed o he playg ound and he ya d. Among he pic u es o objec s we e chai s, Table 1 Summa y on he con en ocus o child en’s pho og aphs Th ee g oups o six o se en child en pa icipa ed in he s udy om each coun y and we e g ouped wi hin he esea ch o he discussions acco ding o hei age (3–4-yea -olds; 4–5-yea -olds and 5–6-yea - olds) Age g oup Inside spaces Ou side spaces Objec s Pe sons Places Scenes G1—B azil 2 12 5 1 7 1 G2—B azil 4 6 2 0 5 3 G3—B azil 8 6 3 0 6 5 G1—Finland 29 2 6 3 20 2 G2—Finland 26 3 7 0 21 1 G3—Finland 18 7 9 0 14 2 267 1 3 Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:… ables, beds, sma boa ds, books, ma e ials o handc a s and mo ning ci cle ac i i- ies, le e s and w i en ules on he wall, shoes, and coa acks. In addi ion, objec s used in physical exe cises such as ou doo slides and indoo ladde s we e cap u ed. Pic u es aken by he 3-yea -old child en, o ep esen hei lea ning expe ience, also ea u ed o he people (child en aking pho os wi h an iPad). In con as , he pic u es aken by 6-yea -old child en mo e equen ly ea u ed a ious pedagogical objec s such as le e s and sma boa ds. This a ie y o elemen s pho og aphed con eys ha he child en unde s and hei lea ning as some hing ha can happen e e ywhe e in he dayca e cen e , in he ma e ial spaces a ailable o hem. Fu he , he analysis o he in e iew ansc ip s yielded ou esponse ca ego ies ha summa ized how child en pe cei ed hei lea ning expe ience. We ep esen hese ca ego ies in Fig.1, and in he ollowing sec ion, we use hem o exempli y child en’s pe cep ions along wi h exce p s om he o iginal da ase s. Ca ego y 1: Objec s Objec s o en appea ed in he child en’s pic u es, and hei na a i es e ealed he connec ion be ween he lea ning expe iences and he objec s in school, bo h indoo s and ou doo s: “This way… hmm, like we a e going o slide and hen o swing and … wi h one oo go bouncing all he way o he loo .” (Anna, 5yea s old, e e ing o he pic u es wi h he slides). Addi ionally, child en e e ed o hei lea ning expe- iences when using he a ious ools designed o c ea e a child- iendly pedagogi- cal en i onmen , such as slides, sma boa ds, o speci ic elemen s om he school in as uc u e, such as s ai s and wa e aps in he oile : “Climb o he ladde and … jump o i and hen I don’ know … S ill… Oh well… I’m going o do such balanc- ing hings, I do no emembe wha hey a e called.” (Te hi, 4yea s old, e e ing o he pic u e o he ladde ). These na a i es showed how he objec s ha compose di e en places o he school en i onmen a e pa o he whole, and when in con ac wi h hese objec s, Fig. 1 The ou ca ego ies ha eme ged om he da a, which e ealed how child en pe cei e hei lea ning expe iences 274 J.M.Fe ei a e al. 1 3 he e e ence poin o di e en ac i i ies. Pee cul u e is mainly cons uc ed by he sha ing o meanings and he (co)cons uc ion o play epe oi e be ween chil- d en (Co sa o 2003, 2005). In his s udy, he child en no only e e ed o pee s as a e e ence poin bu also sough hei olun a y and in en ional assis ance o lea ning how o do some hing. Hence, when e lec ing on hei lea ning expe i- ences, he child en e ealed an in en ionali y ha is a ely ecognized by adul s in pee -lea ning si ua ions. Ou analysis e ealed how he child en’s na a i es o lea ning we e pa ly in lu- enced by he cul u al manusc ip o he school. By cul u al manusc ip s (Tan 2015; Gu ie ez e al. 1995), we e e o he cul u al alues, assump ions, belie s, and hei mani es a ion in he daily p ac ices o he schools. The na ional-le el egula ion and s ee ing documen s, as well as b oade cul u al belie s, pa ly in luence he cul u es o schools. Howe e , each school’s cul u e is cons uc ed by he e e yday ac i i- ies ha in ol e eache s, child en, and o he s a membe s. Thus, gi en ha all he desc ibed si ua ions and na a i es occu ed and we e cons uc ed in he ac ual school en i onmen , i is possible o conclude ha he school is a space o lea n- ing allows he child en o cons uc hemsel es and o he child en signi ican ly in he lea ning p ocess. The school cul u e does no en o ce lea ning om a u u e- o ien ed pe spec i e bu allows hem o lea n in he he e and now. In addi ion, he child en a e allowed o use bo h ou doo and indoo spaces as lea ning spaces. Conclusion The child en’s na a i es showed how lea ning implies ac ion, doing some hing o be expe ienced in he “he e and now,” con ex ualized in hei immedia e in e es . This is a i al aspec o how he child en in his s udy ep esen ed and cons uc ed he meaning o hei lea ning expe iences as independen wo k, o as wo k ha is di e en om an adul ’s eaching–lea ning in en ion. Child en a e agen s o lea ning as well as p oduce s o hei own lea ning en i onmen wi hin he ECEC se ings (Vuo isalo e al. 2015). When we unde s and lea ning as in e wined wi h ma e ial objec s, ac ions, signi ican o he s, and cul u al p ac ices in social spaces—as ela- ional and cons uc ed in indi idual expe iences—we can also see he lea ning en i- onmen as subjec o econs uc ion. This means ha lea ning is embedded in he immedia e ela ionships o su ounding ma e iali y, eache s and pee s as well as shaped by cul u al p ac ices, communi ies, and expe iences o indi iduals (Combe 2016). The implica ions o hese inding ela e o he possibili y open o child en o be in i ed o imagine, design, and make ma e ial changes in hei lea ning en i on- men s in ECEC se ings, as hey ecognized hei own compe ence o lea ning, explo a ion o places, manipula ion o objec s, and ans o ma ion o hei su ound- ings o po en ia e new expe iences. The s udy suppo s he a gumen ha child en mus be ea u ed as p o agonis s in hei lea ning p ocesses. This s udy u ilized he oppo uni y o lis en o child en’s oices in wo di e en coun ies, and gi en he esul s, we expec ha eache s, expe s in educa ion, and o he p o essionals 275 1 3 Child en’s Pe spec i es onThei Lea ning inSchool Spaces:… in ol ed in de eloping al e na i es o po en ia e lea ning may glean ideas o e lec upon hei unde s anding o child en’s lea ning, as well as he ole o pee s and he a ious spaces wi hin ha lea ning. Acknowledgemen s The s udy was conduc ed wi h he inancial and in as uc u e suppo om he Fed- e al Uni e si y o Ube lândia and Tampe e Uni e si y. Compliance wi h E hical S anda ds Con lic o in e es We he e s a e ha h oughou he de elopmen and inaliza ion o his wo k he e we e no si ua ions in ol ing inancial and pe sonal ela ionships ha could inapp op ia ely in luence (bias) his wo k. The e o e, we decla e no con lic o in e es . 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Imaginação e c iação na in ância [Imagina ion and c ea i i y in childhood]. São Paulo: Á ica. A ilia ions Juliene Madu ei a Fe ei a1 · Ki s i Ka ila2 · Luciana Muniz3 · Paula Fa ia Ama al3 · Reijo Kupiainen4 Ki s i Ka ila ki s i.ka ila@u a. i Luciana Muniz [email p o ec ed] Paula Fa ia Ama al paula. a [email p o ec ed] Reijo Kupiainen ei[email p o ec ed] 1 Facul y o Educa ion andCul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Åke lundinka u 5, O ice 509 - VIRTA Building, 33014Tampe e, Finland 2 Facul y o Educa ion andCul u e, Tampe e Uni e si y, Åke lundinka u 5, O ice 303 - VIRTA Building, 33014Tampe e, Finland 3 Depa men o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion, Teache T aining School, Fede al Uni e si y o Ube lândia, Rua Adu o a São Ped o 41, Ube lândia, MGCEP:38400-785, B azil 4 No wegian Uni e si y o Science andTechnology, T ondheim, No way